Material facts
Most cooking pots, saucepans and dishes are made from iron, aluminium, stainless steel, copper or stoneware. Each material has its strengths.
Black iron, or mild steel, is cheap and strong but has no protection against rusting, and needs to be seasoned before use. It makes great pancake pans, but once seasoned the pan should not be washed in soapy water or you will need to season it again. If you use the pan frequently, you can clean it by wiping it thoroughly while still warm with kitchen roll. If anything sticks to the pan, though, you will need to wash and dry it carefully to prevent tarnishing… and then season it again.*
Aluminium is another cheap alternative, with the advantage that it does not rust. It conducts heat well, but it should not be used with acidic food such as tomatoes, because the aluminium can react with and taint the food. The best aluminium pans have a thick base to distribute the heat evenly. The thicker the base, the better – go for at least 3mm. You can get pans with up to 7mm thick bases.
Good stainless steel pans don’t rust or tarnish, are tough and easy to clean and less prone to having food stick to them than iron or aluminium pans. The base of the pan will be in layers, with aluminium sandwiched between layers of steel to help conductivity. Cheap stainless steel pans, though, distribute heat poorly and will rapidly lose their looks.
Copper pans are less common than they once were, as stainless steel has gained supremacy. Copper lined with stainless steel makes lovely pans to cook with, though.
Stoneware cooking dishes look attractive, are tough and have high temperature tolerances. They are great for oven-to-tableware, but can’t be used on hobs as they might shatter.
Enamelled cast iron is also a popular material for casserole dishes and oven-to-tableware. It’s strong, and conducts and retains heat well. Food will tend to stick to the base, though, if you use them for frying.
*To season a pan, heat a layer of salt in the bottom. This seals imperfections on the base of the pan. Then remove the salt and replace with a layer of cooking oil. Heat this until it smokes. Tip it out, wipe round with kitchen roll when cool enough, and the pan is ready for use.
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